Family
by Cara Mia
Summary: COMPLETE NickOC... Read it before you bash it... it's actually kinda interesting, I think.
1. Chapter 1

Show: The Guardian  
  
Title: Family (tentative title)  
  
Disclaimer: "The Guardian" and all of its characters belongs to those guys over at CBS that wear three-pieced suits and can afford to hire lawyers. I do own the character of Amelia Sachs-Fallin, however. No profit is being made from this fanfic.  
  
Pairing: Nicholas Fallin/OC  
  
Summary: This is the story of an affair between Nicholas and a client, who also happens to be the wife of his cousin Freddie Fallin. Amelia Sachs- Fallin comes to Pittsburgh from New York seeking a divorce from her husband of sixteen years on realizing he is cheating on her with another woman. On meeting, the sparks start to fly between Nicholas and the woman he has had a crush on since he was fifteen. Things become complicated as Amelia's degenerative disorder is progressing rapidly and she is dying way ahead of schedule.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
It was one thirty in the afternoon, most of the associates had returned from their one-hour lunches at the upscale sandwich bars and bistros that dotted downtown Pittsburgh's business district, and Fallin and Associates was as usual a hub of activity.  
  
Nicholas himself had just returned from the Courthouse, grabbing an obligatory sandwich on the way, but his distaste with the latest case he shouldered from his community service at Children's Legal Services of America, left a vile taste in his mouth. He had sat through the legal steam- rolling of a sixteen-year-old former crack baby, who would have her child taken away from her by the system under grounds that as a child herself, her behaviour has shown she would be an unfit parent to her unborn child and, although her foster parents had offered to take in both the girl and the baby, she was to turn her baby over to Social Services directly after birth.  
  
He had sat and watched as the young girl bawled in her foster mother's arms, unable to do anything - the case was a foregone conclusion. The least he could try to do was arrange for an open adoption, or to at least work along with the girl's foster parents to apply for full adoption of the girl.  
  
Nicholas sighed - sometimes he hated his life, particularly this job. He only had a total of 65 hours of community service left, but, despite the circumstances under which he had started work there, he had a gut feeling that after his obligation was up, he would continue to work at the cash- strapped law office. In the few short months he had been there, his eyes had been opened up to the harsh reality that some children had to go through today. As a lawyer he had already become jaded by the evil and wrong doing that some people could do. But he was a corporate lawyer - he represented slick thieves in three-pieced suits, who he could overcharge without batting an eyelid, not grubby schoolchildren who didn't have two pennies of their own to rub together.  
  
Nicholas smirked ruefully - he actually liked the grubby schoolchildren better than their green-backed loaded counterparts. He shouldered his way off the elevator along with three other late returning associates, and headed toward his office.  
  
"Nicholas," Annette, his receptionist called out.  
  
"Yes," he paused at the door, hand on the handle.  
  
"You have a visitor -"  
  
Nick didn't wait for her to continue, he simply pushed open the door and shut it heavily behind him. "I'm sorry to be late -" he started as he walked quickly toward his desk, but trailed off as his visitor turned to face him.  
  
The woman sitting before his desk smiled softly as she took stock of his reaction. "Hello, Nick," she said still smiling.  
  
Nick's eyes widened as he gazed at the still beautiful face of Amelia Sachs- Fallin - cousin Freddie's wife. "Amelia." he finally managed, resuming his walk to his desk. "What are you doing -"  
  
"In Pittsburgh?" she finished for him, turning to face him as he stood by his desk.  
  
"Yes. Isn't school in session?"  
  
"Can't I come to visit my family?" she asked cheekily, blatantly sidestepping his other question.  
  
Nick chuckled, "Freddie's family, Amelia, if you can call it that. You're an angel."  
  
Amelia shared his laugh. "Still a charmer are you, Nick? All you Fallin men are the same."  
  
The way she said that caused Nick's chuckle to die in his throat and he shrewdly took stock of the woman sitting before him. At forty-two years old, Amelia looked like a woman at least ten years younger, her trim figure clothed elegantly in a crisp mint-green pantsuit that accentuated her long legs. She wore very little makeup but still managed to outshine any woman Nick knew.  
  
Nick mounted her on a pedestal, subconsciously comparing every woman he met to her and, so far, no one had even come close.  
  
She looked tired though, he noted. He could see light violet smudges under her brilliant emerald green eyes, and as she spoke, her voice had been huskier than usual. She must be sicker. His heart bled for the beautiful woman looking up at him.  
  
Amelia looked away slightly discomfited by Nick's knowing glance. "Aren't you going to offer me something to drink, Nick?" she asked, chuckling again, breaking the ensuing silence. "I thought I taught you better than that."  
  
Nick opened his mouth to accuse her of dodging the question, when a knock sounded at the door and Burton barged into the office.  
  
"Nicholas I need you to -" he broke off as he recognized Nick's visitor. "Amelia!" he exclaimed.  
  
"Burton," replied Amelia, accepting the fatherly kiss on her cheek from her husband's uncle.  
  
"Well this is a surprise," he continued, coming to stand beside his son. "What are you doing-"  
  
"In Pittsburgh?" she finished the question for the second time that day. "I was just getting around to telling Nick that when you came in."  
  
Nick arched an eyebrow at that, knowing full well Amelia had had no intention of answering his question. "I came to see you two bachelors," she said, sitting back in her chair. "I haven't seen you two since Freddie and I came down for Memorial Day last year. I was beginning to think that you two had killed one another when I hadn't heard from either of you in months."  
  
Burton chuckled. "Nah, you know us Fallins. If we'd killed each other, you would've heard about it, believe me."  
  
Amelia laughed out right, her clear musical laughter bringing a reluctant smile to Nick's face.  
  
"By God it's good to hear you laugh again girl," announced Burton, taking Amelia's smaller hand in his.  
  
"It's great to have something like you two morons to laugh at," she replied, sticking her tongue out at Nick.  
  
"I resent that comment," Nick shot back.  
  
Burton laughed again. "There's nothing I would like better than to stay here and chat with my beautiful niece but I have a meeting with some clients of mine," he announced, straightening. "When are you leaving, dear?"  
  
Amelia paused, considering the question. "Three days from now. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow."  
  
"Great. Well, promise to have dinner with Nick and I before you leave."  
  
"I will," she replied, kissing him on the cheek.  
  
Burton headed to the door. As if suddenly remembering, he turned back to Amelia. "By the way, Amelia, how's Freddie?"  
  
Amelia's face darkened imperceptibly. "He's fine," she replied neutrally.  
  
Burton who hadn't caught the change in Amelia's visage continued, "Wonderful. Now, don't forget about dinner."  
  
"I won't."  
  
The door closed behind Burton, leaving Amelia and Nick alone.  
  
In a move that he would never have dared when he was younger, Nick stepped right into her personal space and kneeled before her, turning her chair toward him, forcing her to look at him. "Quit hedging Amelia," he commanded gently. "We both know you're not in Pittsburgh to check up on me and my Dad or even for a damned Doctor's appointment. What are you really doing here?"  
  
"I *am* here for a Doctor's appointment, Nicky," she replied, her temper starting to flare.  
  
Nick's eyes narrowed at the use of the hated nickname Cousin Freddie had bestowed on him when he was a child. "Ok, I'll give you that. But we both know if you were just here for a Doctor's appointment, you would have called us up and invited us over for dinner the night before you left for New York again, not show up at the office. Quit beating around the bush, Amelia. What are you doing here?"  
  
"Alright!" exclaimed Amelia softy. "Stop badgering me, Nick."  
  
Nick nodded and stood up and away from her.  
  
Amelia paused, gathering her thoughts. "I want a divorce," she announced.  
  
For the second time that afternoon, Nick had been rendered speechless. "What? A divorce? From who? Freddie?"  
  
Amelia rolled her eyes. "No, from Barney. Of course from Freddie. Who else have I been married to for the past sixteen years?"  
  
Nicholas robotically moved to his chair and sat down heavily in it. "But why?" he finally asked.  
  
Amelia looked away, choosing her words carefully. "He's having an affair," she announced, glancing at him to check his reaction.  
  
Nick wasn't too surprised to hear this as possible grounds. Cousin Freddie had always been a ladies-man, and marriage hadn't been a deterrent in the slightest way. "You know this or you just assumed?"  
  
Amelia shook her head roughly. "I know it," she replied, her voice filled with conviction.  
  
"How?"  
  
"I hired an investigator," she announced, smiling bitterly. "Best investment I ever made." She reached into her handbag and produced a small service envelope and tossed it across the desk. "Open it," she invited, indicating the envelope.  
  
Nick reached for the envelope, his blue-eyed gaze riveted to the woman across the desk from him. He opened it, and produced a series of black and white photographs. Clearly captured was his cousin Frederick Fallin, slightly bald but as handsome as ever in the company of a beautiful light haired companion: leaving upscale restaurants; Bloomingdale's; Tiffany's; The Park Hotel; kissing in front a Starbucks.  
  
"She's beautiful isn't she?" Amelia asked softly, after Nick still hadn't said a word in five silent minutes.  
  
She was, thought Nick, but nowhere as near beautiful as Amelia. The blonde looked cosmetically enhanced: big bust, super small waist - the type of beauty that faded in time.  
  
"Her name is Madeline Skinner," she continued, struggling to keep the hurt out of her voice. "She's twenty-six and works with him at the company. Apparently used to be a receptionist, now she's an 'executive assistant'." Amelia took in a deep shuddering breath.  
  
"How long?" asked Nick softly.  
  
Amelia shrugged. "God knows. Freddie hasn't been home in seven months, Nick. Seven months!" her voiced cracked, and she roughly wiped away the tears that sluiced down her cheek.  
  
"It all started with the classic signs. He would miss dinner, then call and apologise, saying a meeting ran overdue, or he had to work late. Some nights he'd call and say he can't make it home, it's too late, he'll stay at the Company suite at the Plaza. But when I'd call there, he wouldn't even have checked in. Some nights he wouldn't even bother to call.  
  
"I finally really caught on at the last executive dinner. Get this, his secretary. his fucking *secretary* looks at *me*, her boss's wife with pity in her eyes. I'm not stupid Nick, I knew something was up. So the next day, I used the Yellow Pages for a PI. The guy followed him for a week before he gave me back those. I've had them for two months. I didn't know what to do."  
  
Nick tossed the photos away from him, and sat back in the chair, fingers perched under his chin. "Did you talk to Freddie?"  
  
Amelia shook her head. "Nope. I spoke to him last night. He called me from the company office in Chicago, him acting like everything's all fine and dandy . the little prick still thinks he's still got the wool pulled over my eyes."  
  
"Why are you showing me these, Amelia?"  
  
Amelia sighed. "I want you to handle my divorce, Nick."  
  
Speechless for the third time. "What?"  
  
"I want you to handle my divorce," she repeated, the conviction evident in her tone.  
  
"I'm a corporate lawyer, Amelia, not a family lawyer, you know that. Why would you come all the way to Pittsburgh when you have your own lawyers in New York?"  
  
"I trust you, Nick."  
  
That gave Nick pause. "And you don't trust Marty Harowitz?"  
  
"Marty Harowitz is Freddie's lawyer, not mine. Just like Webster is Freddie's banker, and Arnold is Freddie's accountant."  
  
"And *I'm* Freddie's cousin," he pointed out. "And my father helped *raise* Freddie."  
  
"And you both know what a first-class asshole he is," Amelia inserted, hoping to lighten the mood.  
  
"Don't make light of this, Amelia. I can't represent you."  
  
"Why not, Nick?"  
  
"It's a conflict of interest. He's my cousin."  
  
"Exactly. He'll take you seriously."  
  
Nick scoffed, "Oh, please Amelia. Freddie Fallin has never taken me seriously a day in his life. Besides, I'm *not* a divorce lawyer, I wouldn't know what to do. Why don't you just go back to New York and hire another lawyer besides Marty Harowitz. With those pictures it shouldn't be a hassle."  
  
"I don't want another lawyer, Nick, I want you."  
  
In another context, Nick would have rejoiced at her words, but he knew she had uttered them in innocence.  
  
"I can't, Amelia." he trailed off at the imploring look she gave him.  
  
"My doctor says my muscles are deteriorating a lot faster than they should be. At this rate I'll be in a wheelchair by this time next year. The year after that, if I live long enough, I won't even be able to move.  
  
"I *don't* want to be married to Freddie then. He's already killing me enough as it is. He is going to break what little self-respect I have left if I stay with him. I want to die Amelia Sachs PhD., not Amelia Sachs- Fallin, wife of the incredible Wall-Street moneymaker.  
  
"Do you understand me, Nick?" she continued, her eyes not leaving his. "I've never asked you for anything, but I'm asking you now. Would you handle this for me?"  
  
Nick said nothing, evaluating all that she had just told him. He knew she hadn't brought up her illness to guilt-trip him, but to merely make him understand just how important it was that she be divorced from Freddie before she died. And she *would* die soon.  
  
Amelia had been diagnosed with the muscular degenerative disorder of Myasthenia Gravis eight years ago. She and Freddie had been trying to conceive for years without luck, and they finally knew why. The disease had progressed at an alarmingly fast rate, and Amelia had been forced to start walking with a cane two years ago. Some days, she was so weak and tired that she couldn't even get out of bed without help. That had prompted her to resign from her lecturing position at Columbia because she was no help to her students anymore. She didn't have the energy to brush her own hair some days much less lecture to and grade papers for over two hundred students. She hadn't told Nick and Burton she's resigned yet either.  
  
She quietly watched Nick as he pondered the situation. She didn't know what prompted her to ask Nick to handle her divorce - Burton would have been much more competent, but she wanted to get to know the new Nicholas Fallin, so much a man now than a boy. He had always been a kind person: perhaps a little quiet and detached at times, hard with his father, indifferent to others, but he'd always been good to her. Perhaps it was grounded in the fact that he had always carried a torch for her, but it was there nonetheless. She hoped he would do this for her, even if it was for that reason only.  
  
"Ok," he finally replied.  
  
"Ok?" she asked, just to be sure she heard him correctly.  
  
"Fine, I'll do it."  
  
Amelia smiled, her bright grin lighting the room. She released a breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding. "Thank you," she said.  
  
Nicholas nodded. "No problem."  
  
"When can you get started?" she asked.  
  
Nick shrugged. "I'm in Court tomorrow for most of the day. I should be through by five. You can pass back here then, I'll be in the office."  
  
Amelia shook her head. "Why don't we just talk over dinner. I don't want your father knowing just yet."  
  
"Why not? He's gonna be curious anyways. And he's bound to find out."  
  
"I don't want him to tell Freddie I'm onto him."  
  
Nick scoffed. "You know as well as I do that my father doesn't tell Freddie anything."  
  
"Ok, I just don't want him to get too involved."  
  
"Involved? Amelia, this is his firm and Freddie is his nephew. Of course he's gonna be involved."  
  
"Fine, Nick, whatever. Just promise me that *you'll* be the one to handle this, not your father, not some associate, *you*."  
  
"I promise."  
  
Amelia nodded her head with renewed conviction. "Gosh, look at the time," she exclaimed, looking down at her watch. She grabbed her cane with ornate silver head, and slowly yet gracefully rose to her feet. In her heels, she looked Nick directly in the eye, without them, directly at the hallow in his throat. Recently, she had taken to wearing low-slung mules with everything, and so she could see the muscle ticking at his throat. "I'm going to go, now."  
  
"Let me see you out," Nick offered, taking her arm in his.  
  
"Thank you, Nick. Charmer," she teased, her green eyes sparkling.  
  
Nick chuckled as he opened the door, and escorted her to the elevator, walking slowly, allowing for her laborious gait. On the way there, he noticed the numerous appreciative and curious glances in their direction.  
  
Amelia noticed as well. "I see you still capture the ladies' attention, eh, Nick?" she teased, as they waited by the elevator.  
  
"Nah, I think they're wondering who's that beautiful woman with me."  
  
Amelia's clear, bell-like laughter rang through the lobby, causing the others to look over at them. The ding signaled the arrival of the elevator car. "Yup, Nick, you definitely still are a charmer." She stepped forward and brushed a soft kiss on his cheek before stepping onto the elevator, her green eyes sparkling at the boyish grin that spread across his face.  
  
TBC.  
  
A/N: Well, what did you think? R&R please, tell me if I should bother updating. Ciao!  
  
Cara 


	2. Chapter 2

Show: The Guardian  
  
Title: Family: chapter 2  
  
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Fallin and Associates (the next day - 7:20 p.m.)  
  
Nicholas hadn't even realized how late it was until Amanda knocked on his door: "Hey Nick, I'm heading out. Do you want to join me for dinner?" she asked hopefully.  
  
Nick glanced up at the beautiful redheaded associate at his door, an expectant expression on her face. On any other day he wouldn't have minded, but he wanted to get these reports finished; besides, he was waiting for Amelia to call back. "Sorry kid. I've got other plans."  
  
Amanda frowned. "Oh. I'm sorry," she finally said, fighting hard to keep the disappointment from her voice. "I'll see you tomorrow then," she continued, reluctantly closing the door behind her.  
  
Another half-hour passed until Nick was finally finished and, glancing at the clock he realized that Amelia still hadn't called him. He filed away the documents and collected his coat, wondering if Amelia had somehow forgotten about dinner when the telephone rang.  
  
Annette had already left for the night, so Nick answered quickly. "Nicholas Fallin."  
  
"Nick," Amelia's husky voice washed over his senses.  
  
"Amelia. I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about me."  
  
Amelia chuckled over the phone. "I'm sorry, Nick, my appointment ran longer than expected," she explained.  
  
"Is everything alright?" Nick asked, concerned.  
  
"No, no everything's fine. I swear, you're such a worrywart sometimes, Nick," she teased.  
  
Nick laughed, allowing her to lighten the mood. "Are we still on for tonight? I can meet you wherever."  
  
"Yes, of course. I am a bit tired though. How about you just come over here?"  
  
"Here where?" asked Nick.  
  
"I'm staying at The King. We can order room service and catch up. I'm not up for a crowded restaurant tonight."  
  
"Sure," Nick agreed, glancing at his watch. "I'll be there in half and hour, is that alright?"  
  
"That's great. I'll see you then."  
  
Nick hung up, grabbed his coat and briefcase and headed out his office. As he passed his father's office, he realized the light was still on. He paused, and before he could lose his nerve, pushed open the door.  
  
Burton, hunched over some briefs, looked up at the intrusion. He seemed surprised to see Nick standing there. "Yes?" he asked expectantly.  
  
"I'm having dinner with Amelia tonight," he announced.  
  
Burton frowned, curious as to where this was leading.  
  
"To discuss her divorce."  
  
Burton's eyes widened. "What?"  
  
"She came here to ask me to handle her divorce."  
  
Burton sat back in shock. "Divorce? Why?"  
  
"Freddie's being Freddie - he's having an affair."  
  
"That little bastard!" exclaimed Burton, throwing down his pen.  
  
"She asked me not to tell you," Nick paused at the flicker of hurt that fluttered across his father's face, "but you're gonna find out anyway. Just don't tell Freddie that she's onto him, ok?"  
  
Burton nodded, settling down again. Nick turned to leave but his father stopped him. "Well. I'm glad to see that she's finally come to her senses."  
  
Nick barely cracked a smile. "Aren't we all?"  
  
Half an hour later, Nick pulled his sleek silver BMW up to The King. Handing the keys to the valet, he strode into the lobby, and up to the front desk. The woman behind the desk gave him an appreciative glance before asking, "May I help you, sir?"  
  
"Yes, Nicholas Fallin here to see Amelia Sachs-Fallin."  
  
"One moment please." The clerk put a call to Amelia's room where she gained permission to send Nick up. "Yes sir, Penthouse floor, room 2," she directed.  
  
"Thank you," Nick replied with a smile.  
  
On the ride up, Nicholas realized that this would be the first time in the seventeen years he had known Amelia that he would be having dinner alone with her. The first time he'd met her, he had been a gangly adolescent and she'd been a twenty-five year old bombshell completely and utterly in love with his asshole cousin Freddie. He couldn't understand what the hell she saw in him but, then again, Freddie had always had a way with the ladies. Amelia had been the ultimate catch: smart, beautiful, rich by her own right. Freddie had been unbelievably lucky but now, in true Freddie fashion, he'd decided to trade her in for someone younger and more 'beautiful'.  
  
As the elevator doors slid open, Nick scoffed. No one was as beautiful as Amelia. Certainly not some cosmetically enhanced bottle-blonde.  
  
Nick knocked at the door, and few moments later, it swung open to reveal a robe-clad Amelia.  
  
"Nick, come on in," she invited, opening the door wider for him to pass through.  
  
"Thanks," he replied, setting his coat on the rack and taking his briefcase with him into the room.  
  
"I was just about to change when I got the call that you were downstairs," she explained, moving past him, leaning on her cane. "Make yourself at home, I'll only be a moment."  
  
Amelia hobbled into her bedroom just off the living room. "Fix yourself a drink, Nick. We can order room service when I'm done."  
  
"Thanks," he replied, moving to the wet bar in the corner. "You want anything?" he called.  
  
Amelia, who had just dropped her robe, stuck her head around the corner. "Gin and tonic, please."  
  
While Nick busied himself with the drinks in the other room, Amelia searched for something to wear. She was confused. She definitely liked the new Nicholas Fallin. yet she didn't. She was a little attracted to him, she'd admit - after all, what red-blooded female wouldn't be? But she shouldn't be feeling this for a man ten years her junior, a man she'd known since he was fifteen, her husband's *cousin*! Her soon-to-be-ex-husband, that is.  
  
"Are you alright in there?" Nick called after more than five minutes had passed. "Your drink's turning to water and ice out here."  
  
Amelia blushed, realizing she'd just practically zoned out. "I'm coming." Hurriedly, she pulled on her underwear, a pair of old paint splattered jeans and dragged an oversized Columbia sweatshirt over her head. She dragged a brush through her thick wavy chestnut hair, scowling at her reflection in the mirror, before snatching up her cane and hobbling back into the living room.  
  
She accepted her drink with a smile of gratitude and sat down on the lounge, picking up the room service menu as she took an appreciative sip of her drink.  
  
Nick sat in a chair opposite her, watching her over the rim of his glass as she perused the extensive room service menu. Her oversized sweatshirt and jeans were a far cry from the tailored suits or blazers that she usual wore. With her long wavy chestnut hair loose around her beautiful face, she looked more like a college student than a professor with a PhD.  
  
Amelia glanced up and caught him looking at her. Her breath caught in throat as she recognized the smoky look in Nick's intense blue eyes. He looked away before asking, "See anything interesting?"  
  
She cleared her throat before speaking, "The clams were really good the last time I was here. I think I'll have that again. What about you?" she asked, sliding the menu across the table between them.  
  
Nick shrugged. He wasn't that hungry anyway, but he obligingly picked up the menu, perusing it absentmindedly. "I think I'll just have a steak and potato."  
  
"Ok," Amelia replied, picking up the vintage phone beside the lounge. "Wine?"  
  
Nick shook his head.  
  
"Dessert?" she asked, knowing full well Nick didn't have that much of a sweet tooth anyway. At his refusal she added, "I'll order some anyway." She dialed the number and ordered the spicy clams, Nick's steak and potato, and lava cake for dessert. "Half an hour," she announced, setting down the phone.  
  
"That's fine," he replied, setting his tumbler down on a coaster.  
  
"Take off your jacket, Nick," she said. "We're not at the office, you know."  
  
Nick grinned. "But you *are* a client," replied, shrugging off his jacket. He loosened his tie, and rolled up his sleeves, exposing smooth golden forearms.  
  
"Ah, so you've truly decided to take me on as a client?"  
  
Nick frowned. "I said I would, didn't I?"  
  
Amelia smiled gratefully. "Yes, you did," she replied softly. "Thank you."  
  
"You've said that before."  
  
"And I'll keep saying it until you understand how much I truly appreciate you handling this."  
  
"Ok, ok!" Nick said holding up his hands in peace. "I get it."  
  
"Good," she replied with a smile, taking another sip of her drink.  
  
"Do you want to get started now, or after dinner?" he asked, reaching into his briefcase and pulling out a notepad.  
  
Amelia's smile faded. "I guess now's as good a time as any," she replied, setting her drink down. "It shouldn't be too difficult. We had a pre-nup."  
  
"Do you have a copy of it here?" he asked, jotting that down on the notepad.  
  
"Nope. It's back in Manhattan. Nothing too complicated - on divorce I get a lump sum of five million, and $7500 a month in alimony."  
  
"Any property?" he continued, scribbling furiously.  
  
"I want the townhouse," she announced emphatically.  
  
"That's all?" he asked, pausing to look at her in surprise. "Don't you want Blue House?" he asked, referring to the beloved beach house in Cape Cod.  
  
Amelia looked away. "No," she replied shaking her head, " too many memories." Her voice cracked.  
  
Nick set down the notepad. "We don't have to do this now, Amelia," he advised gently.  
  
"Yes we do, Nick. I'm leaving for New York day after tomorrow. I want you to get started on the papers as soon as possible."  
  
"Fine," he relented, taking back up the notepad. "Are you sure you don't want Blue House?" he asked.  
  
She nodded. He put it down as a request anyway. "Any other property?"  
  
"There's the house in Connecticut, and an apartment in LA. He can have those."  
  
Nick continued writing. "Special knick-knacks; other valuables?"  
  
Amelia shook her head. "Everything I want is in the townhouse: paintings, crystal, cutlery. Freddie can have whatever else he wants."  
  
"Cars?"  
  
Amelia smirked. "I can't drive anymore, Nick. Why would I need a car? The Mercedes and Lexus at the townhouse, he can have. The Jeep at the beach house, too. I only want the limo."  
  
Nick nodded, and scribbled the requests. "Pets? What ever happened to Rascal?" he asked, referring to Amelia's Golden Retriever.  
  
"He died last year," she admitted sadly. "Snake bite at the Cod - we had to put him down."  
  
Nick frowned. "I'm sorry Amelia, I know how much he meant to you."  
  
Amelia shrugged. "He had a full life. He would have missed Freddie too much if he were here, though. I somehow don't think Madeline is much of a dog person," she said cheekily, making light of the situation in typical Amelia fashion.  
  
Nick meant to say something else when a knock sounded at the door. "Room service!"  
  
"I'll get it," Nick offered, as Amelia made to get up. He opened the door, stepping aside as the bellboy wheeled the cart in.  
  
"Right here," Amelia said, indicating the spot next to her by the table. The boy did as he was told, and turned to Nick expectantly, who fished out a five-dollar bill to tip the boy.  
  
"Thank you, sir. Have a nice night," he wished, as he saw his way out, closing the door behind him.  
  
"Hmmm, God, that smells heavenly," he heard Amelia say from behind him, and he turned to see her leaning to smell the delicious scents of spicy clams and fettuccine wafting from her plate. Suddenly, Nick was famished.  
  
They were silent for most of the meal, both intent on their own meals and satisfying their empty stomach. When Nick couldn't eat anymore, he pushed away his empty plate and took another sip of his second Scotch, as Amelia picked up her dessert fork and dug into a huge slice of chocolate lava cake with relish.  
  
Nick grinned. "Where do you put it all?" he asked Amelia.  
  
"What?"  
  
"All that food. You eat like a horse and you're thin as a rake."  
  
Amelia stuck her tongue at him. "Great genes."  
  
**I'll say** he thought, though he was more concerned about a pair of tight paint-splattered blue jeans more so than biological genes. Jeans that clung to her like a second skin, lovingly cupping her rear like a -  
  
"Nick?" Amelia called for the second time.  
  
Nick started. "Huh?"  
  
"Aren't you going to eat your cake?"  
  
Nick scowled. She knew he wouldn't. "No you go ahead, Professor. It's all yours."  
  
"Why thank you, sir," she replied, pushing away her now empty plate and taking up his.  
  
Nick grinned again, going through his notes as he sipped his scotch.  
  
"So how long do you think this will all take?" she asked, setting Nick's empty plate next to hers.  
  
"Well, I can have the papers drawn up by next week, and send them to you in New York before I send them to Freddie. If he has no objections, it should be finalized in about six months."  
  
"Freddie won't have any objections," she predicted bitterly. "Why does it have to take so damned long though, Nick?"  
  
"The law takes time. It also gives you time for both parties to change their minds."  
  
"I won't be changing my mind. Freddie would probably recommend me for sainthood when he gets the papers."  
  
Nick said nothing and Amelia sighed. "It's not like I've got anything better to do. I've got lots of time on my hands."  
  
"What do you mean? School's back in session in September, Amelia."  
  
"Yes, but not for me, Nick," she admitted.  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"I resigned from my position. My contract was up for renewal at the end of the semester. I simply chose not to renew it."  
  
"But why? Your students mean everything to you."  
  
"Which is exactly why I had to do it, Nick. Some days I can't even find the strength to get out of bed, or to comb my hair. I can't even help myself much less two hundred college students," she said.  
  
He knew giving up the job that had been such an integral part of her life and was so important to her was probably one of the hardest things she must have done. Life just seemed to be delivering slap after slap to her face: first being unable to conceive, then being diagnosed with a degenerative disorder, losing her ability to walk unaided, losing the husband that she'd loved more than life itself, now her job.  
  
"So what do you do with your days, now?" he asked, leaning back in the chair.  
  
"Actually," she said with a bright smile, "I don't have so much free time on my hands as I let on. I volunteer at Our Lady of Mercy Hospital reading to the kids in the pediatric wing. It's much more satisfying to actually be a part of it than just writing a big fat check at the end of the year. It's so much fun, Nick. I am now the best finger painter in New York City!" she announced with an infectious laugh.  
  
Nick couldn't help but smile. It was wonderful to hear her laugh again. She'd had so little to truly laugh at recently. Her beautiful face took on an animated quality as she continued, and Nick couldn't help but be drawn into her little world.  
  
"I started painting again, Nick. Murals. Huge, colourful, graceful murals over at the hospital. It's amazing the free reign they give to a person who donates so much to them. I'm about halfway through my first one in the waiting room. That's why I want to get back to New York so soon."  
  
"That's wonderful."  
  
Amelia smiled, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him. Nick's heart skipped a beat. "I'm happy, Nick. Or at least I'm gonna be happy when this is all over. I know you probably think I don't have anything to be happy about, but I *do*. For the first time in seventeen years, I get to be *me*. Amelia Sachs: a stuck up lil rich girl from Westchester, who wanted to become a college professor; not Amelia Sachs-Fallin, Freddie Fallin's wife, the chick who teaches over at Columbia, you know?"  
  
Nick did know. He knew how important a quest for individuality was. He'd almost gone to jail on his quest for it. "I'm glad you're happy Amelia," he said huskily.  
  
She smiled again. "What about you, Nick?" she asked softly. "I've been going on and on about my problems when everything hasn't exactly been a cup of tea for you, either."  
  
Nick shook his head. "I'm alright. I'm a Fallin. We're survivors."  
  
"You're human, Nick," she pointed out shrewdly, sitting up to capture his gaze.  
  
Nick looked away then back again. "I'm happy too, Amelia," he admitted quietly after a few minutes of silence. She raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. "Truly. It's weird. But this 'punishment' has been the most profound experience in my life."  
  
Amelia sat back on the lounge, letting his soft husky voice flow over her senses as she listened to him talk.  
  
"For the first time in my life, I feel like I'm doing something that's worthwhile; something that matters. It's made a man out of me, Amelia. It's hard to put into words," he paused, "but it's changed the person I was, the person I would have grown to be." He looked at her, his eyes an intense blue.  
  
The air crackled between them. Amelia nodded slowly. Nick *had* changed. And that was a little scary.  
  
Nick looked away first, and glanced down at his watch: 10:25. "It's getting late, Amelia. I'm due in court tomorrow morning," he said, gathering up his jacket and briefcase.  
  
"Of course," she replied, standing up slowly and following him to the door.  
  
"Thanks for dinner," he told her, as he folded his coat over his arm.  
  
"You can repay the favour tomorrow," she replied with a laugh. "I'll drop by the office tomorrow at 6. I don't want you two Fallins burning the midnight oil on my last day in Pittsburgh."  
  
"Will do, Amelia." Before he could lose his nerve, Nick leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Goodnight," he whispered, before turning around and heading toward the elevator.  
  
Amelia shut the door behind her and leaned heavily on it. She lifted a hand to the spot that tingled on her cheek. "Goodnight, Nick," she whispered back.  
  
TBC.  
  
A/N: R&R folks, I would really like to hear from you all. 


	3. Chapter 3

Show: The Guardian  
  
Title: Family  
  
Disclaimer: See chapter 1  
  
A/N: Wow! I actually got some reviews. Thanks a lot and keep them coming please.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Nick idly twirled his pasta around his fork, the soft golden light of the candles casting dancing shadows across his face. He had been silent for most of the meal, allowing Amelia the upper hand in their conversation but, now, he seemed to have completely zoned out, lost in his own thoughts.  
  
Amelia herself trailed off, taking advantage of his inattentiveness to stare at the clear masculine beauty of the man sitting across from her. Neatly cut curly golden blonde hair, smooth tanned skin, beautiful intense blue eyes, impossibly long and dense eyelashes and a sinful mouth – neither too thick nor thin, just right.  
  
Her gaze swept down his strong golden throat, where his pulse throbbed strongly against the collar of his light blue shirt. Down past his broad chest, cursing the table between them for blocking the rest of him – trim waist, long legs, *big* feet. She blushed. She was like a hormonal teenager!  
  
Yet she could not stop her wandering eye – across the linen tablecloth where his elbows sat, up the smooth navy jacket to his beautiful hands, with their long slender fingers and neatly cut nails. Hands she found herself fantasizing about roving her naked skin – she was amazed at how she had never noticed how beautiful his hands were before.  
  
Her gaze swept back to his face and she noticed the slight furrow between his brows. Whatever Nick was thinking about didn't appear to be very pleasant. She cleared her throat. Nick's eyes snapped up and he immediately knew that he had missed something. More like *everything*.  
  
"What was that?" he asked, finally laying his fork down and abandoning any pretense of eating.  
  
Amelia cocked an eyebrow. "I didn't say anything." She paused and set down her own fork. "What's on your mind Nick?" she asked, sitting back.  
  
The furrow deepened but he didn't bother to deny it. He paused, and heaved a heavy sigh. "Have you ever had one of those days when you just feel like screaming at the world?"  
  
Amelia smirked. "In my former line of work – practically every other day. Nothing can get you worked up more than a bunch of overzealous know-it-all college kids."  
  
Nicholas smiled mirthfully. "But you liked it," he pointed out.  
  
Amelia frowned but, "Yes, I did," she admitted.  
  
"I don't."  
  
"What, you don't like the overzealous know-it-all college kids?"  
  
The smile was more genuine this time if a little forced. "This world – *my* world," he clarified.  
  
"What about it?" she asked taking a deep sip of her wine.  
  
Nick's blue eyes found hers, swirling like fathomless green pools in the candlelight. Concern swam along with genuine interest as she looked at him from behind the rim of her glass. Usually so close-mouthed with people, Nick found his tongue loosening as the night drew on. He found himself recounting his day: court at nine where he defended yet another corporate CEO from a sexual harassment case, and got him off while, less than three hours later, yet another innocent child was railroaded by the same system that dismissed the harassment case on a mere technicality.  
  
He was a man straddling two totally different worlds. He had thought he was able to handle them both accordingly: his job at Fallin and Associates was his life, his top priority; his community service at CLSP was just what it was – a service to be rendered then moved on from. But there were days like these when he was disgusted with what he did for the corporate world, and his heart bled for the defenseless. But he would have to choose. He could not straddle the line forever. Amelia told him as such.  
  
"You have to choose, Nick," she advised.  
  
They had consumed far too much wine and too little food and Nick thought he had heard wrong. "What?"  
  
"Choose, Nick. Choose what world you want to live in."  
  
"What the hell do you mean? Fallin and Associates is my world. I'm a corporate lawyer, Amelia. It's what I do."  
  
Amelia paused, chewing on his words thoughtfully. "It's what you *did*, Nick," she finally replied. "But things have changed, haven't they? You've seen the dark, cold cruel world on your own time and not from a conference room for once. You have to decide whether when your time is up at CLSP if you want to continue or, if you want to continue to sell your soul for the corporate world."  
  
Amelia had never been so melodramatic… he knew she would not try to sway him with poetic words… she would always be straight with him. She had always been, even when he was a kid – it was one of the many things that endeared her to him. He took another sip of his wine, his mind was foggy but he mulled over her words the best he could. The obvious and most logical answer would be to stay at Fallin and Associates where there was security and surety and he most certainly would *not* be selling his soul and his ethics to the corporate giants. But the idealistic part of him – the part of him that had driven him on so many occasions to put his head on the chopping block for CLSP – screamed at him to continue what he had started – on a path to self-discovery, of peace.  
  
Nick shook his head and roughly wiped his face. "I dunno, Amelia. I just don't know. I can't think right now."  
  
"Then don't. It'll come to you, Nick. I know you'll do what you think is right in the end."  
  
**'what you think is right'. Not, 'what is right'** "Thanks," he replied, a slight half-smile on his face.  
  
"You're welcome," she replied, her gaze colliding with his.  
  
The air sizzled between them. Amelia could feel the heat pooling low in her stomach as she looked across at him. They didn't say anything for long moments but they didn't look away either. It became a battle of wills of sort, each wondering who would look away first. Amelia could feel a flush crawling up her neck to her face, and she dropped her gaze first, clearing her throat awkwardly.  
  
The noise shattered the moment, and Nick looked away, a sly little smile on his face. He recognized that look in her eyes. He had unnerved her. If he were any other man, he would have taken full advantage of the knowledge that she was attracted to him. But he wouldn't. This was not just any woman. This was *Amelia*.  
  
As Nick turned away for her to signal for the waiter lurking in the corner, she earnestly tried not to notice that his pulse was throbbing more erratically than before. She smirked. She had unnerved him as well. It was nice to know she hadn't lost her touch.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The ride back to her hotel was silent and uneventful. Nick kept his full attention on the road, and Amelia dozed lightly in the seat, a combination of her illness and too much wine tiring her out. As they sped along the freeway, Nick tried his hardest not to notice how innocent she looked in her sleep, her sinfully long and decadent lashes forming crescents on the tops of her cheeks. Unwillingly, his gaze dropped to her mouth, and he couldn't stop himself from wondering what it would be like to kiss her, to touch her. He jerked his gaze away and back to the road, narrowly avoiding running into the back of a cruising minivan.  
  
Amelia sighed and turned on her side to face the door, the little sound sending fire to his stomach, and leaving him with a disarming view of her long back and backside. Nick swallowed heavily and, away from his gaze, Amelia grinned devilishly.  
  
When Nick finally pulled the car up outside the hotel lobby, he gently shook her awake and Amelia, who had fallen asleep truthfully about five minutes ago, snapped open her eyes reluctantly.  
  
"We're here," he announced.  
  
Amelia nodded and sat up, straightening her clothes as best she could.  
  
"Do you want me to come up with you?" he asked.  
  
Amelia paused. The words were uttered in complete innocence, she knew, but she could see the innuendo in them. He was probably only inquiring about her safety considering she was sleepy and more than a little tipsy. She was tempted to say 'yes' just so she could stay in his company a little longer, but she shook her head, knowing that if she had accepted, she would probably wind up doing something to embarrass them both. "No. I'm fine," she replied, turning her head to face him.  
  
"What time is your flight tomorrow?" he asked, regretting that she would have to leave.  
  
"I'm taking the seven o'clock shuttle to JFK."  
  
He nodded his head and just then, a valet knocked on the window. Nick rolled down the window, "Yes?" he asked.  
  
"Are you coming or going, sir?" he asked with infinite politeness. "You can't stay here, sir."  
  
Nick nodded his head and rolled the window back up when the valet stepped away. "Have a safe flight," he wished her.  
  
"Thank you," she replied softly. Before she lost her nerve she leaned across and kissed his cheek, lingering a little longer than necessary, taking the time to memorise how his skin felt, and how good he smelt before she pulled away. "I'll call you when I get to New York," she announced, reaching for the door handle and fumbling in her haste.  
  
Nick nodded his head and smiled as she got out and turned to face him. She returned his smile as she looked at him, while with every fibre of her being she just wanted to jump back in and tell him to drive. Preferably back to his apartment. She shut the door a little more forcibly than necessary and gathering her coat around her, headed toward the lobby.  
  
Nick stayed there watching her a little longer, wishing he'd had the guts to tell the valet to park the damn car and follow her to her room. But of course he didn't. And cursing himself for what an honourable bastard he could be at the most inopportune times, hit the gas and drove out of the lobby before the valet could beg him to move again.  
  
TBC…  
  
A/N: Sorry about the delay. I had a lot on my plate (2 other fics to update). Fanfiction.net also seemed to be having a problem with their server as well. Anyways, please R&R and I apologise if it's shorter than usual. 


	4. Chapter 4

Show: The Guardian  
  
Title: Family: Chapter 4  
  
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
That night, Nick lay awake well after one a.m. He could hear the rustling and whisper of the wind   
  
through the leaves of the trees, the whistling croak of a frog, the buzz of the mosquitoes. He   
  
could smell the imminent rain in the atmosphere, taste the cold. It was one of those nights when   
  
you wished you weren't alone – that you had that special someone to share it with; to kiss and   
  
cuddle; to make love with till you both couldn't move in your exhaustion. But yet again, like so   
  
many dark, cold nights before it, he was alone.   
  
But God probably knows he didn't have to be. He was a *man*. He recognized the signs. There   
  
was no mistaking that unsure yet hungry look in Amelia's eyes. She wanted him. If he had leaned   
  
across the gearshift like his libido had been screaming for him to do, he would have captured her   
  
lips with his own. Yet, only God again probably knew what would have happened next. Would she   
  
have sighed in acquiesce, hugged him as close as she could and then beg him in that husky   
  
bedroom voice of her to come upstairs to her room? Or would she had allowed him only a few   
  
precious seconds of the honeyed sweetness of her mouth before pulling away in disgust or   
  
worse, regret?   
  
Nick sighed in frustration and turned onto his side, watching the inky darkness of nighttime   
  
Pittsburgh. **What would have happened?**  
  
God only knows.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
**If Nick Fallin had kissed me for real, what would I have done?** Amelia sat curled in the chaise   
  
lounge in the Penthouse suite. She knew she should be sleeping – her flight was at seven later   
  
that morning, meaning she had to be at the airport by five a.m. But the question weighed heavily   
  
on her mind.   
  
She found herself too aware and far too appreciative of Nicholas Fallin. And she didn't quite   
  
understand why. They had not spent an excessive amount of time alone together, exchanged any   
  
intimate moments… well… *many* intimate moments, right? So what was it? What was it about   
  
him that had her awake after one in the morning clutching a mug of lukewarm herbal tea?  
  
Her head dipped back to meet the warm plush pillows of the chair, and a smile tugged at the   
  
corners of her mouth as her mind showed her just what about him she liked. His intense blue   
  
eyes; cherubic blonde curls, smooth tanned golden skin; large, beautiful hands that he talked   
  
with; lean athletic body – albeit constantly covered in somber suit and tie. But she had endured   
  
enough Fallin Memorial Day barbeques to know he had a body like a twenty-year-old swimmer.   
  
Amelia frowned and set her mug on the coffee table. She was acting like a twenty-year-old   
  
herself. She wanted to talk to him… wondered what he was doing right now. Was he wide-awake   
  
thinking about her? She glanced at the ornate vintage phone on the table beside her. **Nah!**she   
  
thought looking away. He was probably firmly entrenched in a dream about being trapped on a   
  
deserted island with the woman of his dreams – a busty twenty-six-year-old that looked a lot like   
  
Madeline Skinner. Amelia giggled. Did Nick even like busty blondes?  
  
She tried to remember what he was like when he was younger – tall, gangly and fifteen years old   
  
when she first met him, home for the summer holidays from boarding school, still reeling from his   
  
mother's death, though he was an expert at disguise, angry at the world and especially angry at   
  
his father.   
  
**He was so jumpy around Freddy** she remembered with a frown. He would literally circle them   
  
like a wary cat. Freddie thought it was hilarious at the time, and was always poking fun at Nick or   
  
Cousin Nicky as he so 'affectionately' called him. Amelia just pitied him – so withdrawn, angry yet   
  
polite. He was a bundle of clashes. Yet he was always so polite to her. For days on end, she   
  
would be the only person he would talk to and, though she knew he knew she accompanied him   
  
wherever simply because she felt sorry for him, he never said anything.   
  
The next summer, he turned sixteen, and she and Freddie had gotten married, May 23rd, 1988.   
  
they had come back for the Memorial Day Barbeque as usual, but Nick was not there half the   
  
time in the 2 weeks they had stayed in Pittsburgh. How could they have known Nick was   
  
drowning his sorrows in booze and drugs and had lost his virginity to the promiscuous daughter of   
  
a judge in the back of her Mustang? She hadn't known because she hadn't cared. She was too   
  
wrapped up in being the new Mrs. Frederick Fallin.  
  
Amelia frowned and shook her head clear of her thoughts. She didn't want to think of young Nick   
  
anymore. She would much rather dwell on the present. She heaved herself up and slowly padded   
  
back to the bedroom, unable to keep from thinking: **What kind of person would Nick have been   
  
today if I hadn't been so wrapped up in that bastard so long ago?**  
  
She glanced at the phone again and, gingerly standing up, made her way to bed. God only   
  
knows.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
New York City, 11:30 a.m.  
  
Amelia's flight had touched down at JFK an hour ago and, as a first-class passenger, she had   
  
been one of the first off the plane and into Customs. As expected, she had gotten no trouble from   
  
the officials who checked her luggage and wished her a good day and twenty minutes later, Frank   
  
her driver was shoving her bags into the boot and assisting her into the back of her limo.   
  
Amelia tried not to think of how tired she was – she had gotten less than three hours sleep the   
  
night before – and refused to close her eyes as the sleek black car made its way through the   
  
busy streets of the city. When Frank had finally pulled up outside her beloved brownstone   
  
townhouse, she hadn't even waited for him to open the door for her but instead, bounded up the   
  
stairs as quickly as she could.  
  
As the familiar scents of vanilla and gardenia greeted her nose, Amelia took a moment to savour   
  
it. Frank, who had quietly come up behind her spoke. "It's good to be back home isn't it, Mrs.   
  
Sachs-Fallin?"  
  
Amelia nodded and smiled. "It sure is."  
  
Just then, the pair heard heavy footsteps coming down the hall. "Amelia is that you?"  
  
Amelia grinned as the familiar voice of Audrey, her beloved housekeeper, greeted her ears.   
  
"It's me, Audrey. I'm home!"  
  
Audrey squealed and wrapped Amelia in a big hug.   
  
Amelia laughed as she hugged the matronly woman back. The scent of cinnamon and flour   
  
wafting from her ample bosom. "Gosh, Audrey. You would think I've been gone for a year instead   
  
of four days!" she exclaimed stepping away.  
  
Audrey pshawed. "Oh, come on honey. It seemed more like four years."  
  
"Did you miss me?"  
  
Audrey rolled her eyes. "No I didn't."  
  
Amelia and Frank burst out laughing. "Sure," she replied sarcastically.  
  
The two made their way to the huge ranch style kitchen where Audrey set the kettle on the stove   
  
and took out two mugs to make them some tea.  
  
"So how'd it go?" she asked, watching as Amelia shrugged off her jacket.   
  
Amelia didn't even pretend not to know what the older woman was talking about. Audrey was   
  
more than just a housekeeper or a cook. She was a trusted confidante and friend; a mother figure   
  
for a motherless girl. " I asked Nicholas to draw up the papers."  
  
Audrey's eyebrows shot up. "Nick?"  
  
Amelia nodded.  
  
"Why Nick?" she asked, hoisting herself onto a breakfast barstool.   
  
Amelia shrugged. "I dunno. I just did." She paused. "I didn't think it mattered. Once it's one of   
  
them, you know?"  
  
"I guess," Audrey replied, chewing her thoughts over. "So what did he say?"  
  
"Say?"  
  
"Yes. What did he say about the divorce? I mean, was he shocked?"  
  
Amelia exhaled sharply. "Of course he was shocked. They both were," she replied, referring to   
  
both Burton and Nick. "It took a bit of convincing to get Nick to take the case but he did,   
  
eventually."  
  
"Convincing? Like what?"  
  
"I had to tell him the truth."  
  
"What? That his cousin's an ass?"  
  
Amelia chuckled. "That he already knew, I'm sure. I'm talking about the affair. About the fact that   
  
Freddie hasn't spent a night here in seven months, that's what."  
  
The water boiled and the kettle started to whistle. Audrey got off her stool and brewed them a   
  
nice strong cup of breakfast tea. She placed a fresh batch of apple-cinnamon muffins on the bar   
  
and Amelia bit into one with relish, enjoying the way the soft apple and cinnamon melted in her   
  
mouth.   
  
"So what now?" asked Audrey as she started in on her second muffin.  
  
"I dunno. We wait I suppose. Nick said he can have the papers drawn up by next week and Fed-  
  
Ex them here for me to look over before he sends them to Freddie. If Freddie has no objections,   
  
the divorce will be final in six months time."  
  
"Six months?!" exclaimed Audrey, nearly choking on a sip of tea. "You're joshing me, right?"  
  
Amelia shook her head. "I wish I were."  
  
"Why do you have to wait so long?"  
  
Amelia rolled her eyes. "Some bullshit rule about giving both parties an opportunity to change   
  
their minds." She sighed and polished off her muffin. "Like that'll ever happen."  
  
The two lapsed into companionable silence. Frank came back downstairs and Audrey handed   
  
him a muffin.   
  
"Do you need anything else, Mrs. Sachs-Fallin?" he asked, as he wolfed down the pastry.  
  
Amelia shook her head. "No, I'm fine. I'm going to go upstairs. I'm a little tired."  
  
She pretended not to see the concerned exchange between the driver and housekeeper as she   
  
slowly made her way up the sweeping ornate marble and wrought-iron staircase. At the entrance   
  
to the huge master bedroom she paused as she looked at the gigantic king-sized bed in which   
  
she had slept with Freddie for the thirteen years that they had owned the house and in which she   
  
had slept in cold and alone for the past seven months.  
  
She could feel hot tears pricking the back of her eyes and she rapidly blinked them away. She   
  
refused to cry anymore. She heard soft footsteps coming up behind her in the hall.  
  
Audrey rested a heavy yet gentle hand on her shoulder. "You gonna be okay, honey?" she asked,   
  
concern swimming in her dark eyes.   
  
Amelia nodded and smiled wanly. "I'll be fine, Audrey. I'll be just fine."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Pittsburgh, 8:15 p.m.  
  
After yet another tough day at the office, Nick finally dragged himself over the threshold of his   
  
apartment. He was dog tired and would've liked nothing better than to grab a beer and a shower   
  
and sleep for at least eight hours. That of course was out of the question – he had a ton of reports   
  
to finish and he was due in court the next afternoon. Plus, he needed to get started on Amelia's   
  
divorce papers.   
  
**Amelia** Nick couldn't help but smile at her name. He wondered what she was up to. He shook   
  
that thought out of his mind. It was none of his business. He threw his coat and briefcase onto his   
  
couch and realized that his answering machine light was flashing. He hit play. The first was from   
  
Annette reminding him that he had a nine o'clock conference call with a client the next morning.   
  
The second was from Amelia.   
  
He had been in the process of loosening his tie but he paused as her voice, distorted by the   
  
mechanics, flooded the room:  
  
"Hey, Nick, this is Amelia. I'm calling you from New York. I tried reaching you at the office but   
  
your secretary told me you were in court all day. I know that you're gonna be very busy but I just   
  
wanted you to know that I got home safe. Ah… so gimme a call when you can. We can talk more   
  
then."   
  
The machine beeped as she terminated the call. Nick stared at the phone, her final words   
  
reverberating in his mind: **Gimme a call…** He purposely ignored the 'when you can' part, and   
  
picked up the telephone.   
  
It was well after eleven when Nick finally forced himself to say goodbye. He stared at the reports   
  
he had been planning to finish but instead snuggled deeper into his couch. He'd get up later and   
  
finish them. He was only gonna close his eyes for a little while. Five minutes!   
  
Of course Nick didn't wake till his watch alarmed seven a.m. Goddamn he was in trouble!  
  
TBC…  
  
A/N: Thank you for last chapter's comments. Sorry for the delay. I'm currently not in my country,   
  
so access to a computer and the Internet has been rather sporadic, but I'll try to get new chapters   
  
out as often as I can. Bye for now. 


	5. Chapter 5

Show: The Guardian  
  
Title: Family  
  
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1  
  
A/N: Thank you for last chapter's comments. It's nice to know the few that have taken the time to   
  
Read & Review have enjoyed the story so far.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Pittsburgh (3 months later)  
  
As was the norm in recent months, Nick sat in the solitary dimness of his apartment, briefs and   
  
reports spread out before him, a forgotten beer growing tepid on its coaster by his elbow. He had   
  
barely taken the time to reheat himself last night's dinner after the courier service had delivered   
  
him yet another batch of documents at eight p.m.   
  
That was three hours ago. But he didn't realize the time. He was too engrossed in hammering out   
  
the deal – crossing his T's and dotting his I's – for yet another big-wigged company to notice   
  
anything as insignificant as time passing by.  
  
He was desperately trying not to think of *her* - Amelia. She who invaded his every waking and   
  
sleeping dream, whose voice was constantly on his mind. Whose lips he constantly ached to   
  
taste. Whose rock in the past three months, he had been for her to constantly cling to after her   
  
divorce papers had been delivered three months ago.  
  
He tried not to think of that day when he had personally flown to New York to deliver the papers   
  
to Freddie. He had not called to say he was coming, so neither Freddie not Amelia knew he was   
  
coming. Instead, he had waited patiently for his cousin to see him, seated by the infamous Ms.   
  
Skinner herself.   
  
When Freddie had finally deigned to see him, what followed had not been pretty – a typical   
  
explosion of the Fallin temper – name calling, cussing, threatening… classic. As usual around   
  
Cousin Freddie, he lost his temper and was not much of a help to Amelia.  
  
When he finally paid a visit to the brownstone later that day (after he had gotten his temper under   
  
strict control again, of course), she had taken it all in stride, although she had been unable to look   
  
him in the eye when he told her that indeed Freddie had seemed all too happy to accept the   
  
papers. She was so strong it awed him – how could this woman, who had devoted the better part   
  
of sixteen years of her life to a man wholly undeserving of it, be so cool and so collected in the   
  
face of the dissolution of her marriage?  
  
To this day he still didn't know; couldn't come to close to comprehension. She was still an   
  
enigma, no matter how close they had gotten in the past three months – and she was still   
  
attractive as hell!  
  
Nick groaned and gave up the pretense of concentrating on work. He took a sip of his warm beer   
  
and grimaced at the bitter taste. He glanced at his watch and rubbed his face in fatigue – it was   
  
after 11. **Might as well try to get some semblance of sleep. Court bright and early tomorrow   
  
morning. Whoop-ti-doo!** he thought sarcastically, rising from his chair.   
  
It was raining out, he realized as he trashed the beer bottle and the remains of his Chinese take-  
  
away dinner. For a few seconds, he stared mesmerized at the crystalline raindrops falling like   
  
tears from the sky. He was so engrossed, he only absentmindedly realized that someone was   
  
pounding the hell out of his front door.  
  
**What the hell?** he mused wondering who the heck would be pounding on his door at this time   
  
of the night. He yanked the door open and stared.  
  
She stared back at him. Raindrops sluicing down her face and plastering her dark hair to her   
  
skull. Her clothes were soaked and she was breathing hard. Although she was completely wet, he   
  
could tell she was crying. She stared at his surprised face like a woman on a mission. Stepping   
  
directly into his personal space, she watched his blue eyes widen before she slipped a cold hand   
  
behind his neck and brought his lips down to meet hers.  
  
Nick was frozen in shock before his body's instinctive reaction took over and he dragged her   
  
closer to him, deepening the kiss in the process. Of their own accord his hands slipped under the   
  
wet wool of her sweatshirt, stroking the cool smooth skin beneath. She bucked in his arms, her   
  
pelvis rubbing against groin as his fingers encountered a sensitive spot in the small of her back.   
  
"Nick," she sighed, breaking the kiss and tilting her had back to give his better access to the   
  
smooth column of her throat.  
  
Nick looked up, his blue eyes smoky with desire. "Are you sure?"   
  
Amelia meet his gaze, her eyes equally smoky and desirous. Her silence was his answer.  
  
Ever so gently, Nick scooped her up in his arms and kicked the door shut behind him. He quickly   
  
padded down the length of the hallway to his bedroom before gently depositing her in the middle   
  
of the crisp cotton sheets on his bed. He took the time to stare at her, sitting up on her elbows,   
  
her wet hair spread out on the sheets. He said nothing.  
  
"Touch me…" she commanded softly, never breaking eye contact. "Touch me, Nick," she   
  
repeated. "I'm not going to break."  
  
Reverently he stepped forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Slowly he kissed her eyes,   
  
cheeks, ears and finally her mouth before he reached for the hem of the sweatshirt and lifted it   
  
over her head. The white t-shirt that lay beneath soon followed until the top half of her body was   
  
clothed only in a lacy black brassiere. His breath hitched as he took in her small firm breasts   
  
straining against the cups, her skin a luscious ivory against the stark black. She lifted her hips   
  
and let him slide the track bottoms past her hips, reveling in the aroused glint in his eyes as he   
  
took in the matching bikini bottoms. Next came her socks and her shoes until she lay clad in   
  
nothing but her skimpy underwear.   
  
Goose pimples started to dot her skin and he cursed himself for his inconsideration. Leaving her,   
  
he quickly returned with a towel and lifting her, up he rapidly rubbed the towel into her skin, drying   
  
and warming her as best he could, until her surprisingly strong grip fell on his wrist indicating he   
  
could finish warm her up with his body. He took the deep kiss and playful nip against his throat as   
  
his invitation to undress.   
  
Never breaking her gaze, he pulled the white t-shirt over his head, reveling in the feminine   
  
appreciation of the defined muscles of his stomach and biceps rippling beneath the smooth   
  
golden skin. He was barefooted already, so he slowly unbuckled his belt wincing at the metallic   
  
rasp of his zipper in the room where only the sound of the rain outside and Amelia's shallow   
  
breathing could be heard. His pants joined his shirt, until he was standing before her, clad only in   
  
white Calvin Klein boxer-briefs, his erection highly evident. He went to slip them off himself but   
  
her thumbs, hooking into the waistband halted him.   
  
Nick's stomach muscles contracted as she pressed a kiss just below his navel and swirled her   
  
tongue in the delectable little whorl before slowly sliding them past his hips. As they dropped to   
  
his feet, she stared at the object of her fascination before her gaze slid up to his eyes, enjoying   
  
the boyish embarrassment in their depths.  
  
Hooking her fingers in his, she lay back inviting him to follow. He meant to kiss every single part   
  
of her body, revel in each moan, each breath, each squirm, but Amelia had no such ideas.   
  
"Nick…" she moaned breathlessly as his tongue swirled around her nipple. "Now. I need you   
  
now."  
  
The look in her eyes – desperate and wanting – left no room for argument. She didn't even allow   
  
him reinforcement from the trusty but dusty box of condoms in his top drawer, instead pulled him   
  
up and into her body.  
  
Nick groaned at the sensation of being inside her. It was like coming home – warm and wet and   
  
oh so tight. He couldn't control himself – it was as though he was that gangly fifteen-year-old boy   
  
she'd met seventeen years ago. Gritting his teeth, he slowly pulled back, moaning in pleasure at   
  
the damp grip of her inner muscles. Her breath hitched and he eyes practically rolled back in her   
  
head she wrapped her legs around his lean hips. Over and over, they moved together and they   
  
both lost themselves to each other that night as Nick guided them toward Nirvana. And when   
  
Amelia came, with Nick's name on her lips, he wasn't very far behind, groaning her name as he   
  
lost control, barely remembering not to tell her, "I love you."  
  
TBC… 


	6. Chapter 6

Show: The Guardian  
  
Title: Family  
  
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1  
  
Pairing: Nick/OC  
  
A/N: I received an anonymous review from someone who said my characterization of Nick is   
nothing like him at all. I appreciate the reviewer pointing out the fact, but I think if you pointed out   
the fault, you should at least give me a little more information about how I can change it to make   
him more like Nick. If you are reading this, please send me an email or another review telling me   
exactly what was wrong. Don't just tell me it was wrong and leave it at that.  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The rain continued to pound away outside. Inside, only the muffled din of it striking the exterior   
walls and windows could be heard as Nick and Amelia remained cocooned in their own world,   
nude bodies nestled against one another like spoons. Fascinated by the smooth warm skin of her   
shoulder, Nick softly skimmed her fingers over the flesh, watching as the muscles bunched under   
his touch, enjoying her little shiver of pleasure as he pressed his lips to the crook her shoulder.  
  
"Why are you here?" he asked, tucking a tangled lock of damp hair behind her ear.   
  
Amelia inhaled shakily and turned onto her back until she looked up into his eyes. Concern and   
curiosity swirled in the sapphire depths. For long seconds she said nothing as he waited   
expectantly. "I have wasted twenty years of my life," she answered cryptically.  
  
Confusion knotted his brow.   
  
"Children," she softly whispered in reply to his unasked question. Amelia gathered the sheets   
closer around her body and sat up, leaning her head back against the headboard. "When I was   
younger, I always thought that I had all the time in the world. I'd just met Freddie… we were   
madly in love… I thought we would be together forever. It didn't matter – we would wait a while   
before starting a family. Then we all know what happened next….  
  
"When I came here three months ago to ask you to handle my divorce, I paid a visit to a   
specialist… for women trying to have children with Myasthenia Gravis."   
  
"What do you mean, Amelia?"  
  
Amelia swallowed. "My doctor in New York *told* Freddie and I the reason I couldn't conceive   
was because I had MG… I never bothered to get a second opinion, Nick. If only I had…" she   
sobbed. "The reason I couldn't conceive wasn't because I had MG… it was because of Freddie! I   
wasted the last eight years of my life, Nick… eight fucking years…. Now, nature's proven that she   
can be an even bigger bitch and the reason I can't conceive is because my body is a hostile   
environment… I'd kill any child of mine before it had a chance to live!"  
  
Nick didn't quite know what to do or say, so he kept quiet as she continued to speak.   
  
"I got back the results a week ago. I called Freddie. Do you know what that bastard told me when   
he finally deigned to see me? That he'd known. He'd known that he had a low sperm count for ten   
years. It's so fucking bizarre it would have been funny if he hadn't always made it known to me   
that I was a disappointment to him because I couldn't have children."  
  
The anger rose in Nicholas. "Freddie's a bastard Amelia."  
  
"Believe me, I know. But it still hurt so bad because I never wanted to disappoint the man I loved."  
  
"He doesn't deserve your love, Amelia. He never did. You're too good for him."  
  
"And you think you deserve it, Nick… my love?"  
  
Nick didn't answer. It wouldn't pay to lie – he knew that she knew he'd always harbored a   
schoolboy's infatuation towards him. "Maybe… but you're too good for me, too," he finally replied.   
  
Amelia's liquid green eyes held his in the dark. "I think you've got it all backward, Nicholas Fallin.  
"*You're* too good for me."  
  
He stroked her cheek even as he gripped her hips and slid into her again, enjoying the way her eyes   
fluttered at the pleasure. "I guess we'll have to agree to disagree then, won't we?"  
  
Amelia chuckled shakily. "This won't be easy, you know, Nick," she said soberly.  
  
He didn't even pretend to not know what she was talking about. "I know."  
  
"I mean, I'm ten years older than you... I'm not even a whole woman."  
  
Nick stopped thrusting at that. "First off, Amelia, your age never mattered to me. It shouldn't matter to   
you either. You never gave a damn what people thought before, why should you start now? Secondly, I've  
*never* seen you as anything but whole." He kissed her hair.   
  
"Then I guess we're back to the agreeing to disagree thing, aren't we?"  
  
"I guess so.... I've never been one to lay it out on the table, you know that. I just know that this feels right.  
For once in my life, something's good."  
  
Amelia's bottom lip trembled and she lifted her head to kiss him softly. "It can't last forever, Nick. Not for us...."  
  
He started to move again, sliding his body slowly into hers. "Then, I'll take what I can."  
  
TBC… 


	7. Chapter 7

Show: The Guardian  
  
Title: Family  
  
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1  
  
A/N: I started off this story with an idea of what I wanted, but that has become a little blurred.   
Therefore, I've chosen to complete my story. It might seem a little rushed, but really it's for the   
best considering I have very little inspiration left where the story is concerned. However, if any of   
you wish to take up my spot as author, that would be fine, just get into contact with me via review   
or email and let me know what's up.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Six months passed and while Nick and Amelia's relationship grew stronger, she steadily grew   
weaker as her body began to shut down on her. The dreaded day soon came when her legs   
failed her and she was unable to stand up, the signal of her plight a heavy thud on Nick's   
bedroom floor and his pounding steps into the bedroom to find you sprawled on the floor.  
  
His heart stopped as he stood frozen in the doorway, his blue eyes filled with concern and anxiety   
even as Amelia whimpered in pain before he flew into action, clinically running his hands over her   
limbs to check for any injuries.   
  
She'd fractured her wrist and had a badly twisted ankle, but she was no worse for the wear, but   
her pride surfaced at her doctor's suggestion that she take to using the wheelchair. They both   
knew what that meant – the end was soon upon her – and neither thought they could handle the   
truth.  
  
As Nick drove back to his apartment through the steady Pittsburgh traffic, Amelia turned to look at   
his profile. His face remained stoic and the timbre of his voice was completely controlled as he   
parceled out his cases to the other associates back at the office. She knew he was trying to   
remain strong for her and it was killing her to know he felt such pain but was so adept at hiding it.   
He was so adept at hiding things, he was great at it – brilliant in fact – she didn't want that to be   
the case.   
  
Nick gallantly swept her into his arms and carried her up the stairs of the apartment and set her in   
the middle of the sleep-rumpled sheets of their bed. It suddenly struck him that he never referred   
to anything he owned as his anymore; it was all *theirs* - their apartment, their couch, their   
bathroom, their bedroom, their bed.   
  
It would all soon be *his* again, and it was heartbreaking.  
  
Reverently, Nicholas traced the soft plane of her cheek with his fingers. Amelia turned her head   
and pressed a soft kiss to his palm even as the hot tears pricked at her eyes. He made to move   
away, to head down the hall to his at-home office, but the suddenly strong grip of her hand on his   
arm stopped him.  
  
"Wait," she whispered.   
  
Nick turned to her, curiosity in his sapphire blue eyes.  
  
"Make love to me, Nick," she requested.   
  
His eyes widened at her request.  
  
Amelia started to flush in embarrassment at his silence, the self-doubt surging to the surface. She   
moved to retract her request when Nick suddenly fell to his knees before her, bringing his arms   
around the ribbon of her waist and burying his face in her chest.  
  
The tears started to fall before either of them could stop them. Amelia's body shook as she held   
the man who had given her back her life; who had shown and given her more love in the past six   
months (maybe seventeen years) than she'd ever known in her entire life. She cried at the   
thought of, having found something so good, so right, she would have to leave it and leave him.  
  
Nick cried at the thought that in a time, very soon from now, he wouldn't be able to touch, taste or   
smell her. To hear her call his name when they made love, or when she requested something of   
her, to hear her sigh in her sleep as she fused her body as close to his as possible. He cried and   
cursed God or whoever was responsible for this for the cruelty they had dealt her. For the cruelty   
they had dealt *him*. For him to have happiness again, only to have it ripped from him.  
  
Amelia lifted his head from her chest and gazed into his eyes. The shiny blue orbs were   
swimming in tears. He looked so heartbroken.   
  
Her own green pools were tear-filled, and her cheeks and nose were red from the sobbing, but   
never had there been a dearer face to him.   
  
Amelia dipped her head and captured his lips with hers, reveling in the sensation that instantly   
erupted. His palm lifted to cup her cheek, his thumb wiping away the remnants of her tears even   
as he angled his head and deepened the kiss, seeking her tongue with his own and, when given   
permission, plunging into the deep wet sweet recesses of her mouth to plunder for what seemed   
and may indeed be, the very last time.  
  
They didn't know who moved first but, before long, they were both naked between the sheets of   
their bed, Nick gallantly keeping his weight off her body with his elbows. He lay deeply embedded   
within her, his length loving gripped by her walls. His hands cupped her face as their eyes never   
wavered and he stroked her cheeks, memorizing each plane, each angle, each hollow of her   
body, each sigh, every groan, every moan, every shudder and tremble, each touch as, with   
hidden strength, she lifted her arms and legs and wrapped them around Nick's lean hips as he   
steadily thrust into her, trying to draw out this pleasure as long as possible. When the light hit her   
as if she'd been knocked into a wall, she cried out his name, sobbing her love for him even as he   
pressed his forehead to hers and started to climax like never before, each shudder a delicious   
aftershock that rendered him limbless.  
  
In the waning afternoon of that late fall day, he knew that the final chapter was over. Nick held on   
as long as he could, kissing and nibbling every part of her body, feeling his own gearing up for   
another round until finally, exhaustion beckoned Amelia and with a final weakly whispered, "I love   
you…" she drifted off to sleep.  
  
Six days later, she was dead, eight days before her birthday. She'd stopped breathing in her   
sleep, fused to his body as usual, and he had known when she'd passed, holding and rocking her   
body in his arms with a keening cry as he seemed he would never let go.  
  
The funeral was enormous. So many people had known and loved Amelia. So many had known   
of her suffering, so many were glad that it was over at long last; that she was at peace. But not   
Nick. He was overcome with a selfish grief, cursing the heavens for having taken her away.  
  
Nick sat in the front pew by the gravesite, the flower-strewn maple coffin in direct view – white   
roses and lilies – so fucking depressing, he felt like ripping them from the coffin. Burton sat to his   
left, Audrey and Frank to his right. She was holding Nick's hand even as Frank kept his arm   
around her ample waist and she sobbed in grief. Most of her past students were there, her   
colleagues, childhood and neighborhood friends. He'd even spotted Freddie somewhere in the   
back, Ms. Skinner notably absent. He'd caught Nick's eye but he'd turned away unable to look at   
the man who, up until three months ago, had the right to call Amelia his.  
  
The priest started the graveside prayers, but Nick was numb, stuck in his chair even as the rest of   
the congregation recited the prayer:  
  
*~*Let light perpetual shine upon them, oh Lord  
  
And may their souls and all the souls of the faithful departed, rest in peace.*~*  
  
Audrey stood to say the eulogy – Nick couldn't bring himself to say anything – and not an eye   
was left dry. Nick clasped her to him as he swallowed the knot of sorrow in his throat, keeping the   
stoic manner even as his body ached to scream and rail at the injustice of it all.   
  
Everyone soon left, patting him on the back, whispering condolences as he mechanically nodded   
and Burton uttered words of thanks. Audrey and Frank traveled with Burton back to the Fallin   
house where they would accept yet more condolences and accept typical offerings of food and   
allow the others to stay for a while. And only when the last footstep had died away did he cast   
himself on his knees by the graveside burying his head in his arms, memories of the past   
beautiful nine months flying past his mind at breakneck speed, and wailed for the one he had lost.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
Three years later  
  
"It's a girl!" came the joyful announcement of the doctor. He carefully cut the umbilical cord of the   
red screaming infant even as Nick brushed back the dampened strands of hair from his wife's   
face.  
  
Lulu was crying, even as she laughed with joy and she grasped his hand as he pressed a shaky   
kiss to her forehead.  
  
The smiling nurse came over, the tiny bundle of joy, moderately clean and wrapped in a pink   
blanket, squirming in her arms. "Would Daddy like to hold his little girl?" she asked, even as she   
handed over the baby.  
  
Nick accepted the bundle and the feeling that washed over him was phenomenal. She was red   
and wrinkled, odd looking with the typical blue eyes of a newborn baby, but she was the most   
beautiful thing he'd set eyes on.  
  
Lulu cooed as Nick held the baby in the crook of his arm and leaned over so she could inspect   
their daughter. She marveled at her size, at her ten fingers, ten toes, her button nose…   
everything. Nick was mesmerized, captivated by the tiny infant.  
  
"Have you thought about a name yet?" asked the nurse, smiling at the scene.  
  
Lulu opened her mouth to say no they hadn't but Nick cut her off saying emphatically, "Amelia.   
Her name is *Amelia*."  
  
Lulu frowned a little but nodded in understanding, her eyes riveted to her husband's and the   
nurse smiled. "That's a beautiful choice."  
  
**Yes, it is. Hello darling… hello my little Amelia.**  
  
THE END  
  
A/N: I hope you don't think it was too rushed and maybe it was a little fluffy, but I felt if I didn't finish   
it now, I'd never finish it and I hate to see unfinished stories online. R&R and tell what you thought.  
  
Cara 


End file.
